Doctor Who (season 14)

Doctor Who (season 14)
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of stories 6
No. of episodes 26
Release
Original network BBC One
Original release 4 September 1976 (1976-09-04) – 2 April 1977 (1977-04-02)
Season chronology

The fourteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 September 1976 with The Masque of Mandragora, and ended with The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

Casting

Main cast

Tom Baker continues his role as The Fourth Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) departs partway through the season in The Hand of Fear. As Sarah Jane was effectively the only tie the Doctor had to UNIT at this point, he no longer had a reason to return to his former job following her departure. In between the two serials, the Doctor has a solo adventure in The Deadly Assassin. The Doctor is then joined by Leela played by Louise Jameson in The Face of Evil.

Guest stars

The Master reappears in The Deadly Assassin as the main antagonist, his first appearance since Frontier in Space (1973), this time played by Peter Pratt. The character would not make a further appearance until five years later in 1981.

Serials

The Masque of Mandragora saw the debut of the new wood-panelled "Secondary Console Room" set, which was to be used as the main TARDIS console room throughout the season. The season took a five-week transmission break between the broadcasts of The Deadly Assassin and The Face of Evil in order to extend the season further into 1977, allowing Robert Holmes time to work on the final serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

StorySerialTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) [1]		AI [1]
861The Masque of MandragoraRodney BennettLouis Marks4 September 1976 (1976-09-04)
11 September 1976
18 September 1976
25 September 1976		4M8.3
9.8
9.2
10.6		58
56
—
56
An encounter with the living energy structure known as the Mandragora Helix leads the TARDIS to 15th century Italy.
872The Hand of FearLennie MayneBob Baker and Dave Martin2 October 1976 (1976-10-02)
9 October 1976
16 October 1976
23 October 1976		4N10.5
10.2
11.1
12.0		—
—
62
—
The Doctor and Sarah are caught in a mining explosion. Sarah is found clutching what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in a 150-million-year-old stratum.
883The Deadly AssassinDavid MaloneyRobert Holmes30 October 1976 (1976-10-30)
6 November 1976
13 November 1976
20 November 1976		4P11.8
12.1
13.0
11.8		—
59
—
61
The Doctor returns to his homeworld, Gallifrey. When the President of the High Council is assassinated, however, he becomes the prime suspect.
894The Face of EvilPennant RobertsChris Boucher1 January 1977 (1977-01-01)
8 January 1977
15 January 1977
22 January 1977		4Q10.7
11.1
11.3
11.7		61
—
59
60
The Doctor arrives on a planet where two tribes are at war and discovers that their god of evil is himself.
905The Robots of DeathMichael E. BriantChris Boucher29 January 1977 (1977-01-29)
5 February 1977
12 February 1977
19 February 1977		4R12.8
12.4
13.1
12.6		62
—
—
57
A vessel is commanded by a crew of indolent or avaricious human staff. It is a happy partnership until the human crew start being murdered one by one.
916The Talons of Weng-ChiangDavid MaloneyRobert Holmes26 February 1977 (1977-02-26)
5 March 1977
12 March 1977
19 March 1977
26 March 1977
2 April 1977		4S11.3
9.8
10.2
11.4
10.1
9.3		—
—
—
60
—
58
The Doctor and Leela travel to Victorian London where they encounter a sinister Chinese stage magician and his master, a fugitive from the 51st century.

Broadcast

The entire season was broadcast from 4 September 1976 to 2 April 1977.

DVD Releases

Serial name Number and duration
of episodes		 R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
The Masque of Mandragora4 × 25 min.8 February 201031 March 20104 May 2010
The Hand of Fear4 × 25 min.24 July 20067 September 20067 November 2006
The Deadly Assassin4 × 25 min.11 May 20092 July 20091 September 2009
The Face of Evil4 × 25 min.5 March 2012[2][3]5 April 201213 March 2012[4]
The Robots of Death4 × 25 min.13 November 20002 July 200111 September 2001
The Robots of Death – Special Edition
Part of the Revisitations 3 box set.		4 × 25 min.13 February 2012[5]1 March 2012[6]13 March 2012[4]
The Talons of Weng-Chiang6 × 25 min.28 April 200330 June 20037 October 2003
The Talons of Weng-Chiang – Special Edition
Only available as part of the Revisitations 1 box set in Regions 2 and 4.
Only available individually in Region 1.		6 × 25 min.4 October 20102 December 201011 October 2011

In print

Serial name Novelisation title Author First published
The Masque of Mandragora Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora Philip Hinchcliffe 8 December 1977
The Hand of Fear Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear Terrance Dicks 18 January 1979
The Deadly Assassin Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin Terrance Dicks 20 October 1977
The Face of Evil Doctor Who and the Face of Evil Terrance Dicks 19 January 1978
The Robots of Death Doctor Who and the Robots of Death Terrance Dicks 24 May 1979
The Talons of Weng-Chiang Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang Terrance Dicks 15 November 1977

References

  1. 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Doctor Who News Page: DVD Schedule Update". Doctorwhonews.net. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  3. ↑ "Play.com listings2". Play.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Doctor Who – 4 Classic DVDs in March Include 3 Special Editions and Leela's Introduction!". tvshowsondvd. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Amazon.co.uk Revisitations 3
  6. ↑ Filmink listings
  • "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Masque Of Mandragora". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  • "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Hand Of Fear". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  • "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Deadly Assassin". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  • "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Face Of Evil". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  • "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Robots Of Death". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  • "The Talons Of Weng-Chiang". =A Brief History Of Time (Travel). Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.


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